Day 28: Building A Nuke Is Not That Hard

Bob's Note: Hi, I'm Bob

You may be wondering who Bob is

But I'm not going to tell you

Just ignore me and move on

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So it turns out the Atlesian army has managed to trace my track and is now on this island preparing to search for me with a shoot on sight order.

Additionally, I just ran out of condoms this morning

Hahhhhhhhhh

As fun and relaxing as this vacation turned out to be, I guess it must come to an end at some point in time just like everything else. That aside though, never would I have thought that simply hiding inside the truck that day would lead to such a carastrophereric mess that is my predicament right now

1 billion fucking Lien, along with free pancakes. That's how much they're willing to spend for my death, that's how far they're willing to go for me to get annoyed. So much so that now I'm already thinking about crazy ideas that my past-self came up with

And you know what? I'm starting to get scared that I'm actually agreeing with myself

Should I fake my own death? Yes

Should I bring my fake body to the military and earn the money reward all to myself? I'm considering it

Should I just go fuck it all mode and join Salem and Co. for real? Not yet

I literally only want to enjoy my new life in this world. Is that too much for the military to understand? Have they simply decided it would be fun to mess with my life?

Knowing my luck until now, that possibility is positively frightening. It means I will not be able to rest well in the future with all the shit that had and will happen to me. Constant disruption and trouble always follow wherever I go, and they will always brand we with all sorts of false rumor no matter what I do

A psychopath with love for carnage and manipulating people?

Bitch please, I'm literally just a normal dude with absolutely no mental detriment who loves reading manga in his free time. I mean I've read Death Note, sure, but that doesn't make me a genius with god-complex damn it

I mean what's next.....I'm actually the Grimm King with amnesia?

Pft...Ridiculous!

Oh well, at least there's still Vacuo, Mistral, Vale and a bunch of hidden village in undiscovered territory that I can still explore. If worse come to worst, I'll just go to one of them and start a peaceful life there, befriend the locals, and maybe find myself a girlfriend in the process

Despite the bleak situation I'm in, my future is at least looking promising

For my time in Menagerie, I divided them into three main parts, two of which were aimed to increase my level of expertise in manipulating the skills I learned from others, and the other is purely trivial in nature

First, magic training

You have learned [Arcane Vision]

You have learned [Gradual Slow]

You have learned [Territorial Resistance]

You have learned [Magic Blast]

You have learned [Counter-Disable]

You have learned [Detect Magic]

You have learned [Widen Magic]

You have learned [Double Maximize Magic]

You have learned [Dispel Lesser Magic]

Sitting on the floor of my room at the inn, I watched as the book in my hand glowed with ethereal energy, it's content flashed in front of my eyes before being absorbed into my body, accompanied by a rush of sudden knowledge, and perhaps, just the slightest hint of power being evoked from inside

Yesterday and this morning, I have been concentrating in learning spells from the [Arcane Spellbook], focusing on the low-level rather than the advanced one, since they requires no EXP to learn thanks to my [Cast Greater Magic] skills.

It takes some time to memorize the cantrip's details to effectively exploit them, but I'm learning new magic at a rapid speed now

Despite that, I would still need to be cautious with my choice of spells, so as to not overdo it. If I learn too much, I might not be able to remember all of them and results in a decrease in my casting efficiency. Too little and I might regret it when the situation calls

'Hmm...about 1,000 of them will be enough...'

That said, I still need to balance the kind of skills I want to absorb so that each of them are unique and can help me in many ways possible

200 offense spells. 200 defense spells. 200 utility spells. 200 strengthening spells. 200 Crowd-control spell. That is the setup I'm striving for. It's too little, I know, but the diverse range of utilization could help me in smaller skirmish against annoying enemy

Ding!

By learning such a large number of spells (1,000/1,000), you have earned [Title: Jack of all Mage]

[Jack of all Mage]: All your spells level up 150% faster at the cost of them being unable to reach maximum potential

I'm still worried that 1,000 of these things are still too weak, but nothing can be done about it. I'm already glad I can cast magic in the first place

'....'

Talking about magic reminds me about Alistair

'Look, (Y/n), I finally mastered fire magic-'

'Oh, atta girl. I know you're a fast learner'

'And water magic, and earth magic, and light magic'

'Wait'

'And lightning magic, an-'

'Hold up, how the hell did you learn it so fast?'

'Alteration of the quantum properties inside each atom can lead to it becoming another matter' She replied 'It is fundamental that information cannot be lost in the conversion process, merely taking a change of form and rearranging them in another formation'

'But to attempt such a feat, you'd need to manipulate matter at a sub-atomic level and be able to affect their core enough to convert them to another elements, which requires an inhuman degree of precision and control' I frowned as I asked back 'How did you do it?'

She shrugged

Obviously, she is an intuitional caster, relying on her senses of magic and manipulating them with little effort to produce countless attacks that doesn't need to rely on the standardized 'spells'. Compare to the kitsune, I don't have the necessary talent for such a feat

But that doesn't mean I can't replicate them

Strictly speaking, there are two form of magic casting. That is using 'magic conjuration' and 'magic manipulation', with each of them having their own pros and cons in usage

'Conjuration' are pre-determined commands that utilized one's magic and set them to an output that would follow that command in the most efficient way possible, like guns and bullets, that serves to create catastrophere together but is useless without one another. I have about a thousand and five of these things under my belt, which mean I can command the magic in me in 1,005 different ways as long as I don't run out of mana.

If I can chain up these command into different links of attacks, the combination would be limitless

Since they are standardized and efficient in nature, conjuring spells require as little magic as possible and almost no control over it's movement. You say the words, you channel the magic and voila...abracadabra

Meanwhile, the 'Manipulation' that Alistair used is much more complex...and much, much more unstable compared to using spells. You don't just try to order magic around, you seize control of it, become it, command it's every aspect under your thumb. A manipulator of magic is often more dangerous since they don't follow the norms of normal magic caster. Their attacks can come from above, or below, from left to right, fast as light, or as slow as a glacier however the caster wish

Luckily, this type of casting is often rare. Since nobody sane enough would ever risk accidentally crippling their magic core - To actively control the flow of magic inside your body while concentrating on combat at the same time is a bad idea- Plus the fact that usually only people who have mastered higher end of elemental magic can effectively use it, which requires years upon years of vigorous training to achieve

But I'm not the type for grinding. There must be an easier way for me to cheat the system

One that would allow me to gain a significant boost in power. Something that is uniquely available to only me, the one who possess the power of the Gamer

"Elementals Familiar" I snapped my finger "Summoning an entity of pure power from another plane of existence and binding with them will allow me to at least have an upper edge when it comes to magic control"

"......"

"......."

"Wait no, that sounds stupid and incredibly dangerous"

I don't even how to summon them yet, why did I think about it in the first place?

'Ah, fuck it, if nothing works I'm just going to feed off Alistair like Helen. Problem solved'

Second, physical training

Instead of purely relying on increasing my muscle mass, I want to play it smart and devise different ways to use Aura to aid me in battle, whether if it's for attack or defense

Even though I'm not a very prideful person by nature, I believed my Aura Manipulation skill is better than most Huntsman-in-training, just for the fact that I took reference from other anime and tried to incorporate the use of their standard energy into this world's Aura

With Haki - which is the physical manifestation of everything, I already know how to strengthen my body to inhumane degree and observe unseen projectile better than before

Now, it's time to start with the spiritual side: Reiatsu (Aka. Reiryokou) and potentially Reishi

With Haki, I used [Hardening] and [Sixth Sense] to create a basis before strengthening them to an almost instinctual level

So with Reiatsu/Reishi, I used [Lesser Necromancy] to adapt their fundamental operative system. And since I'm an undead by nature, I could control my soul to a degree, thus allowing for flexible control of my inner spirit

However, in the process of trying to refine my energy, I realised something important. Something crucial that could mark a potential threat, or an incredible opportunity to me

A person's soul density affect their recovery rate. If it is focused inside the body and not projected to the outside, one could theoretically accelerate their healing.

Since I'm a vampire whose soul stuck to his body and that my Aura are somehow uniquely dense , I can always regenerate whenever I want at an incredible speed, controlling the speed and the part of my body I want to heal just by manipulating my own soul

However, this also means one thing

Attacks that can damage the soul will kill me, disfigure me, or even cripple me for eternity

Ahhhh, I knew it. There's no way immortality could be so easily obtained. Nothing can escape death after all

I am not a protagonist. In fact, I can easily die if someone were able to bypass my pseudo-immortality, overpower me using pure force, negate my magic and outsmart me at the same time. As someone who had watched JJBA, I know countering a hax ability is as easy as cake, so long as you know the correct method

Compare to the likes of individuals like Helen, Murdoch, Alistair, Nightbringer, Cinder and Co. who can grow stronger at an astronomical rate just by training alone, I'm nothing more than an ordinary guy among a sea of monster

Literally damn it. Why do a human like me get stuck as their leader? Do they even know how much stress that caused me at night?

A sigh escaped my lips

No matter, I'll just have to find a way to deal with it in the future

Ding!

You have learned [Reiatsu]: +15% AP regeneration. +30% Proficiency with Soul Magic

You now have a greater control over your own soul, and to an extent, the soul of others

[Lesser Necromancy] has leveled up

[Lesser Necromancy] has leveled up

Ding!

Due to the condensing and preservation of your soul, it's manifestation has gotten stronger than before!

*Aura-based attacks now deal 120% Critical Damage on hit and provide you with status effect [Soul Mark], allowing you to pinpoint your opponent's location for a very brief amount of time after hitting them

Ding!

You have learned new magic from [Lesser Necromancy]

You have learned [Detect Life]: Sense other's life force within a radius of 2 meters.

You have learned [Tongue of the Dead]: You can now talk to dead bodies

I nodded with a satisfied smile. Once again, another skill that could help me in battle

There's no rush trying to achieve Shikai nor Bankai. I will learn them once I have a weapon I'm truly comfortable with

Believe it or not, Blitz and Pulse just doesn't feel right in my hand sometime - being only able to convert Aura and all. Maybe I should create my own weapon in the near future

A weapon forged from my own soul doesn't seem like a bad idea. I just need to seperate a chunk of it and somehow learn some crafting skills from people by eating them. Sounds pretty easy if you ask me

Hmm

Next, maybe I should learn Chakra from Naruto, or Nen from Hunter x Hunter. The former would require me to buy some Dust as catalyst, a feat completely possible with the amount of money I currently had

They're practically useless anyway. My Aura bullets can cause more destruction than them, doesn't run out as long as I have time to regenerate, and I learned jack-shit from eating those colorful crystal aside from them getting me high

But with that said, being high on Dust doesn't feel that bad. That's what I thought as I got up from the floor, preparing to go out for some light jogging after all that modification done to my body

However, the window that popped up next made me widened my eyes in surprise

Due to both physical (Haki) and spiritual (Reiatsu) strengthening, your Aura has been evolved!

[Emperor's Aura] -> [Emperor's Aura II]

- Prepare for trouble....and make it quadruple

'Wait, hold up!' I am confused, sitting back down to my bed 'Quadruple the trouble? What does that mean?'

- It means the usual effect will be multiplied by four, do some math you uneducated gamer

'That's not what I meant and you know it' There's so little details regarding about the Emperor's Aura I possessed. Even when I searched it up in local libraries and made questions, I still came up with nothing remotely close to it. With that regard, the System is the only source of information I could ask from, if only I could get it to answer me that is

There was silence, though that was expected

Third, just some necessary preparation for when I leave this island. Nothing major

I am by no mean smart by this world's standard. Sure, I could plan on several months up ahead and even a full year if I want to, but often those plan of mine backfire due to the Butterfly's effect of causality and my shitty luck that always turned things to the most unexpected of situation. It frustrates me greatly

Over time and constant disappointments, I have learned one lesson from it. Don't plan anything, just prepare for every possible situation you will face. Focus on strengthening my defense, enhancing my offense, and staying unpredictable was often the best way to ensure my survival when the situation demands, not some fickle plan that could crumble if fate so decides it

Knowing my luck, the Atlesian military will try to corner me - using the passive aggressive tactic and block all my exit - understanding full well I'm staying on a piece of land in the middle of an ocean, which will be easy for them to comp around this area for that one edgy boi with the slightest resemblance to Grimm and arrest him

But there's a slight misunderstanding

I'm not stuck here with them. I never have

[Portable Aura Bomb] created x35

Using the condoms provided to me by the hotel and filling them full of Aura, a new weapon in my arsenal has been created. Light, flexible, cheap as hell, and carrying twice the explosive power of a grenade by estimate...

I call it the 'explosive condom'. Provides you with firepower on the battlefield and protection in the bedroom. the effect granted by this weaponized sexual device reduce the leaking effect of energy and improve it's compact size, fitting a big chunk of power into a small amount of space that results in a lethal outburst when activated

And the condoms are reusable, so that's that

Now if only I can fill these rubber balloons with radioactive materials, that would guarantee to double the potency on these weapons.

Of course, I know that not all weapons are hard to make, the thing is that materials for weapon of mass-destruction are pretty hard to find if you don't know the correct method to obtain them. Like a nuclear fusion reactor can be build using a system of pumps connected to a spherical vacuum chamber, but most of the chemicals required to power it are regulated by the NCR and other agencies in charge security

Which makes it extremely hard to trade, of course. *sigh*

I know, talking about this just bring me a good idea

Let's make a nuke for self-defense

That way the government will stop bothering me in the future, and I will gain a potential ace in combat with stronger enemies as well. Radioactive-proof or not, the heat generated by the bomb at the moment of detonation is hotter than the surface of the sun itself at several million degree Celcius, that's more than enough to deal with with most of my problem in the future

I think so, at least

I mean I'm not sure if an atomic bomb is going to harm Salem or other entities of her level or not, but it's at least enough to distract her and allow me some time to escape before shit gets real

Like, she will ask me 'oh? Are you approaching me?' while spreading her arms out and I will walk closer while replying 'I can't explode the shit out of you without getting closer' and she will say 'Then come as close as you like' then say 'Nani' when I commented 'Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru' and in response I would yeet this thing in her face when she least expect it

Ding!

You have received a new quest: [American Diplomacy]

Quest: Gather the necessary material and build a nuke

Side Quest: Build a nuke that can surpass the Tsar Bomba

Reward: Max level [Job Class: Craftsman], Max level [Craftsmanship]

Side Reward: [Job Skill: Create Lesser Items], 30,000,000 Lien

I frowned

'Well, building something that could surpass Tsar Bomba is pretty easy, provided I have time and resources for it' I theorized ''

For now, I'll need to start collecting some Uranium. The act of simulating fission in an enclosed environment can be put off later

(Y/n) is just a normal human boy. Not intelligent. Not strong. But certainly resourceful. He made plans, discard plans, and made preparations along to those plans to face off against stronger opponents to him. Every single day

To survive with nothing but the tools given to them, an individual was put in a world where no one in their sane mind would ever consider going. He faced hunger, death, isolation from civilization and constantly being put on edge from paranoia ever since the first day he was put here

But human thrives in such environment, don't they?

Such fascinating creatures we all are

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The atmosphere on Menagerie right now could only be described as nothing more than chaotic.

Night has fallen on the island, yet the heated whispers of the populace still emanated within the alleys, echoing on the street. There were words of fright, yet also those with vigorous anger and unease

"Really? How utterly suspicious...."

"I can't believe it either, the military just came here in the dozens. Their ships boarded on our island by the hundreds now blocked every shore and now they're patrolling every route in the village like it's an infection or something"

It is true, the latest event that transpired just today's morning shook the whole island as a disruption of their peaceful lives just came so suddenly. The intervention of the Atlesian military forcibly by-passing their border and make a semi-threat to their well-being serves nothing but unsettled them even more

And that's not mentioning the SDC representative that has begun harassing the citizen on the island. At this time it hasn't escalated to violence yet, but the racism is pretty blatant from the condescending tone they often uses

"What the hell is chief belladonna doing with those intruder?"

"He's in a disadvantageous political position, say the military's and SDC's join forces for this operation, and the one they're searching for is an international criminal at that" The horned woman scowled "Say it will kindle the unity between the two races...a load of bull if I were to say"

"I agree with her, they just want to oppress us"

The inaction of their own chief, along with the fact that they're being looked down upon inside their own land just because the people here are helpless against the military only enrages the people more

A revolution....Oh how long they have yearned for revolution. Stomp out all the human and show them the true race equality for once. But they can't, the Faunus kind are vastly outnumbered and outgunned. A declaration of war by the nation itself will bring nothing but unnecessary bloodshed to their children

If only there exists someone who can lead the people better than Ghira Belladonna

"What are you talking about?"

"Ah, (Y/n) is it? You're new here so you don't know it yet" The three middle-aged Faunus turned to greet the boy "A mess, everything is a mess!"

"That it is. Really, rumor said that the Grim is here and that this place is going to be a battlefield soon"

"Those human just gave us an ultimatum: If we don't leave this place, we'll all be killed. Sounds like a threat if you ask me"

I stared blankly at the three Faunus

"Speaking of which, how do you know my name?"

"How could we not?! That revolutionary speech about rising of the Faunus you made the other da-"

What?

The other two immediately clapped his mouth shut

"Shut up you old bone, do you want to get arrested by the military?" The two ladies hissed, which prompted the old man "Don't let your wives hit you!"

"....Wives?"

"Ah, how rude of use not to introduce ourselves" The frail-looking old man grinned, sweeping back his grey red hair "I'm Bovem Taurus. The one one the left, Mine, is my step sister and first wife, while the other, Kare my second wife, used to be my aunt until her uncle and mother get married just several years ago"

.....Fascinating

So it IS indeed true, incestious and polygamous relationships are allowed here for some reason. I don't know what to feel about that. How is a normal person supposed to react to this again?

Interest? Disgust? A morbid curiosity about how their child would look like?

Having sex with multiple members of your family just makes me feel....uncomfortable. I don't particularly mind it, but I don't necessarily desire it either. My nature as an undead already disabled my sexual drive a long time ago

As long as everyone is happy it's fine, I guess

".Well, you look like a very lovely family" I said with a smile "But you're a Taurus, doesn't that mean you're related to Matsu?"

Hmm, it's been a long time since I saw that Bull-Faunus. If I remembered right, he should be alive by now

"Ha, of course, I'm his grandfath- I mean uncle" He corrected mid way, before deciding to change the topic "Matsumoto is often a shy child so I'm glad you'd make friends with him. The Taurus clan is willing to help you whenever you need assistance, sir (Y/n)"

"It is my pleasure, Matsu's a chill guy so I don't mind"

Ding!

+ 10 Affiliation with the Taurus clan

+50 Affiliation with the Taurus clan

+200 Affiliation with the Taurus clan

"By the way, some of the younger girls from our clan is coming of age and they're all excellent beauty, as well as being exceptional Huntsman with remarkable combat prowess" He smiled warmly at me, as though hinting at something

Meanwhile, (Y/n) is wondering if he could handle an entire clan of Adam's by himself

"I, as the clan head, was looking for someone willing to be their spouse. A man with a strong disposition, level-headed in nature, and willing to make sacrifices for his family"

"Well that's good to know" (Y/n) smiled at the old man, having regained his usual calm "I hope they will find a suitable husband someday"

"Hoho, of course~ They're all first-rate girls after all"

The Faunus's mistresses rolled their eyes. It's clear at this point that Bovem was just trying to court him into the family

"Honey, don't you think you're forgetting something to the esteemed sir (Y/n)?"

"Ah, that's right!" Pulling a red card out of his vest, the elder bull handed it to me "Please, if you're free tomorrow, come to my son's wedding with the Scarletina clan heiress. We offered free food and strippers of any kind, they even give free services!"

I was about to decline

'wait, did they just say free food service?'

'Well, the Taurus's family meeting's gonna be a mess' I frowned 'And this will increase my social standing in this place, which is always a good thing, so why not?'

"Sure"

Damned me and my opportunistic tendency

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"Kitai!" Blake yelled, swinging her Shinai sword down in a vertical swing with all the precision she could mutter. The strike created ripple of wind that scattered the leaves in front of her, blowing them to the air. She raised her wooden sword again

"Ki-Ken-Tai-Ichi!" With each punctuation, she repeated the motion of swinging up and down. Blake's eyes shown concentration and commitment to the task, to the point that she herself seemed as though she's immersed in the sword in front of her

It is almost midnight, the late wind lazily passed by, raising goosebumps and causing shivers wherever it wandered to. In the moonlit night of the Belladonna estate, filled with the mild scent of wild flowers that decorated their home's garden, things are as calm as they can be

Correction, they seems as though they are calm. With Menagerie's current situation with the military's call for search of the Grim

Observing their daughter practicing in the courtyard, was the Belladonna patriarch and his wife

"Kali, are you teaching Blake how to fight again?" Ghira frowned

"Pretty much, yeah" Said cat-woman said as she took a cup of warm tea "I told her to take some rest this afternoon, but our daughter seems to be quite relentless in her pursuit of the Belladonna tradition"

"You admitted you are teaching our daughter to kill!"

In the past, perhaps way before the human established their first rural Kingdom, the Belladonna was a clan of assassins who took killing people for a living. Their cat instincts allow them inhuman agility and stealth, while their mastery with the shadow made it all the harder for their enemy to directly combat them

Building their fame and infamy on a pile of bloody corpses, those who are a part of the Belladonna participate in an eccentric practice: That of selective breeding with strong individual to ensure the strength of their clan will not fade, but instead prosper in the future

But that is a topic for another day. Perhaps the author will consider writing it in his other book or something

The problem is that Kali, his beloved wife - the daughter of the Belladonna's patriarch - is teaching Blake to use violence!

"We are not animals, Kali. We have diplomacy. No need for weapons when we can resolve things peacefully"

"Words themselves are also weapon" She took a sip of tea, setting it down to the tray by her side "It doesn't matter which one you're using, but it will not harm to have more than one with you"

"We are better than this"

"Exactly. We are better than this" She said irritatedly to her husband "Better-prepared, that is. What if negotiation failed and wars are declared by Atlas? What if they decided to oppress us using force?"

"Such things will not happen, the treaty-"

"The treaty means shit!" Kali stood up, her eyes blazed with fury at the extend to which her husbands are willing to deny the facts presented to him and clung to his own foolish belief "Don't you realize our situation? We are outnumbered, outgunned, disadvantaged! At the rate we're going they can demand anything from us and we won't be able to refuse! Because you know what? In the long run, our race's existence doesn't matter to human!"

"Now if you will excuse me, I'm going out for a walk" Taking a deep breath, Kali left the room, leaving her husband behind in the silence that came afterward

'My god, you were right' Hot tears trailed down the woman's cheek as she tried to hide it 'Had it possibly been that you had foreseen this development and warned me about it? That encounter at the market wasn't just a coincidence, is it?'

'(Y/n), whoever you are, if it haven't been for your advice I would have never realize the error of our way. If I haven't meet you back there, I would have been still ignorant to the minds of the populace' She wiped away her tears 'With ignorance, with denial, our race has fallen lower than it has ever been'

'Your words were like a warning bell to us. We owe you for such wisdom you offered, and yet I have no way of thanking you enough to show all my gratitude'

The midnight wind caused her robe to billow in the air, while the moon cast it's ethereal glow on her figure. With a graceful movement, Kali jumped to the roof of a nearby house and ran along it's ridges, silently leaping from house to house with barely any difficulties

She decelerate when a certain house appeared in her vision. Letting momentum take it's course, Kali landed on the ground on all four, her feline nature showing for just a brief moment. The woman dusted off the dirt on her clothe as she got up. She then walked up to the front gate of the building, where two Faunus are standing guards on each side

"Yuma, Trifa" She greeted calmly, which caused the two of them to tensed up

"What do you want?" It was the spider-Faunus who asked first, her face full of suspicion and wariness. That can't be blamed considering the relationship between the two faction right now

But that will be fixed soon

"I am here to meet Sienna"

"For what purpose?"

"A deal. A proposal. An offer" A sad smile appeared on her face "To fight off a common enemy, true unity between rivals are sometime needed...."

"We will settle the old blood once and for all"

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(Okay, before you continued reading: I have not watched ss7 before, so as a matter of fact I do not know about the existence of characters and interaction that will take place there until now. which as a result, the plot for this story has been altered slightly with new characters portrayings different personality from their Canon counterpart, all of which are due to the author's negliance of his source material. You have been warned)

Shutting down initial system...

Replacing Individual modules....

Updating combat visual system....

Installing Mods: Extended Weaponry....

Installing Mods: Nanocells.....

Restarting memory bank....

The sound of keyboards being smashed repeatedly could be heard echoing inside the empty space that occupy him and his creation. The man sat on his chair, his hazel brown eyes glued to the computer screen in front of him, scanning across the lines of binary numbers with perceptive examination, checking for any mistake that could have escaped his notice from the previous coding section

Being laid across him in a vertical cylinder-shaped machine, there is a girl. She wore no clothe, save for the thin layer of fabric used to cover up her main operating hardwear. Aside from that, there is nothing to cover her synthetic skin, which almost seems dangerously realistic with how humane they look and feel. Had that been not for the lack of reproductive organ on her body, almost anybody who looked upon this girl would have mistook her for a real human like them

Her freckled face, brimmed with innocence that could take the heart of everyone she met - designed for maximum ethical purpose so that she could freely converse without suffering from machinery prejudices from other- were now as though they are carved in stone: The girl's facial muscle controller has been deactivated, which left her with a hollow expression that haunts anyone who looks into it

Her still emerald green eyes, which usually always seems to contain a vigirous passion, now only staring of to space in an emotionless gaze - the only thing visible if one were to look straight into it are the logical equation used to maintain her system in the form of different symbols slowly being transmitted under her eyes

His greatest creation, the apex of AI technology, an invention that went ahead of it's time. P.E.N.N.Y, a robot - no, a sentient machine that had the potential to be the first stepping stone for humanity's greatest feat in science yet - the ability to create life itself

But...if only the Atlesian government bother to see this side of her...

'No, no, don't you dare think about that' The man clenched his hand 'Thi-this is for a better future, we will finally have the necessary funding to continue our research'

Geppetto 'Pietro' Polendina was never a good conversationalist, even worse a marketing agent. Such a kingdom focused on military like Atlas would have never accepted this project in the first place if they haven't seen the potential for her to develop into the perfect killing machine to their molding

But even now, there have been demands for a test, a practical test against one of the most dangerous individual on this planet. How could they have expected his creation to do such a thing? Everyday, his faith in his own government crumbled just a little bit more, up to this point, he wasn't sure if he can even serve them willingly and research what he want anymore

'If I do this right, then they will take me in' He smiled hopefully 'The Hellsing organization will take me in, and they'll provide more funds for my research, and Penny can finally be a normal girl again'

Seeing nothing wrong, he nodded with a satisfied expression and pressed the 'Enter' key. The screen turned black just for a moment as it finished loading all the data. But in that split second, Geppetto saw something at the edge of the screen's reflection. Something very close to him

CLICK

The doctor's eyes widened as he bolted out of his seat

BANG

Only to stumble forward as a bullet hit him in the spine, causing him to fall to the side. Geppetto wheezed as he tried to get up and ran, only to realize he suddenly can't feel anything from the waist down anymore, that the shot has been intentionally placed there to permanently immobilize him

"Well that took long enough" From the shadow, a small little girl grinned. Her amber eyes shown satisfaction as she gazed at the modified war machine in front of her "Truly impressive, Dr. Polendina. You surpassed all expectations from lord (Y/n), which is not a very easy thing to do might I add"

"Y-you are one of them" His voice was naught but a whisper as the doctor looked at the girl who couldn't have been more than 16 "They called you Iscariot"

"Well that's a name for you to decide, doctor" She casually replied "We don't care what you call us. but as long as you remain an obstacle to the Lord's way, we will continue to remove each and every one of you...until there is nothing left"

Cinder Fall put on a pair of black gloves as she strode forward, completely ignoring the paralyzed doctor under her feet

"They said the majority of bounty hunter who dared go after the Grim all ended up murdered just a few days after their departure, found dead in their own air-tight room with not even the slightest resistance- an instant kill. Specialist Reaper had stated there may be an organization of skilled assassins backing him up, but I've never believed it until now-" He gasped

She blinked "Can you please quiet down?"

"The shadow hunters, the demon's servants, the devil's childs, God's bane, they call your organization with such diabolical name. Just what have you done? JUST WHAT IS YOUR GOAL IN ASSISTING THE GRIM?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY HAVE SUFFERED BECAUSE OF HIM?"

Cinder sighed

She drew her pistol and shot the doctor again, but this time the bullet pierced through the middle of his forehead, completely silencing him for good

"Doctors are much more likable when they know how to shut up" The little girl muttered, reloading the clip back into it's chamber

She began typing into the computer. Her fingers danced across the keyboard, pressing different commands that Doctor Watts had given her into the modules. Now if Watts can be described as anything more than an asshole who loves creating diabolical invention for amusement's sake, it's that he's a genius in many scientific fields with unrivaled reputation among fellow researchers

If it wasn't for his lack of moral ethic in experiments, that boomer would most likely have earned himself a Notbel by the end of the day

Maybe that's why they dislike the old guy so much, nobody wants to be acquaintance with someone who pranced around showing his superior intellect and just how much he's better than them when you know it is all true

Modification Completed

Model T-800, P.E.N.N.Y

Salutation, how may I help you?

Without the usual personality module ingrained into it's core, Penny's interface seems much more crude and robotic than before. But of course, such things can be easily fixed with time

- Hello, Penny. I believed we are acquaintance with each other

I'm very sorry, but my database doesn't have your face in it.

There was a slight pause

It's empty actually

- That's....bad. Do you remember any data recorded prior to this?

I....do not, was I supposed to?

- A malevolent scientists named Pietro attempted to brainwash you and turn you into a weapon of mass destruction for his organization's own uses. Luckily, I was there to save you from them. But unluckily, he managed to delete a part of your emotion in the process before i can take care of him

You are my friend?

- Yes, yes I am. My name is Cinder. We have known each other for a long time as servants of the Lord.

We are?

- You were one of his most trusted soldiers, which is why he sent you for a termination mission around these part, but you were captured by Pietro and his goons when wounded and bought here to experiment on

It would appear so. But who is the Lord to which I was intended to serve?

- Oh dear, it seems your memory loss is more severe than I thought :(

I apologize

- No need. You will find out in time, now, I will transfer your data into your newly-modified body and we will both get out of here, okay?

Okay...

- I am glad for your faith in me, Penny. It will just be like old time, I promised

I believe you, Cinder. Friend

Cinder Fall smiled at the now-docile AI, satisfied with her psychological manipulation show she just pulled off. The girl reached a hand toward the doctor's pocket, before pulling out a USB with a single note on it

Terminator.exe

'Now, without further ado' She smiled 'Let the shitfest begin'

Pushing the key into the USB port, she began the downloading process of Lord (Y/n)'s future servant. With this new software installed, his force's power is guaranteed to have another formidable asset to him

Downloading...1% completed

Clack Clack Clack Clack

The sound of armored boots slapping against the floor alerted Cinder of the presence outside. 'Atlesian force'

She glanced at the camera screen which showed the camera installed outside. Three armored males with various weaponry. One carried a rifle, one a pistol and a knife, one a shotgun. And the last man standing just outside the reach of the camera, his face mysteriously concealed by a black hood as he seemed to be talking through a Scroll - possibly calling for more reinforcement from the other side

It's clear that he's a Specialist judging from how the soldiers moved according to his command. Shotgun go first, pistol support him in case of ambush, and rifle go for the kill once the smokes are clear

Downloading....11% completed

'I guess the little distraction didn't work on them' She frowned 'These guys are more competent than I thought'

'Ha, might as well. I'll have to take care of them later as enemies of lord (Y/n) anyway'

Grabbing the suitcase on her back, Cinder opened it up to reveal the anti-tank rifle inside- the same one Lord (Y/n) gave her on that fateful day. Pulling back the bolt and ejecting the spare shell inside, she loaded another new bullet into it. As she did so, Cinder's face twisted in pain

'I'm sorry my lord, to have made changes to this gift without your permission' She smiled sadly 'I hope you will forgive me if it's for the sake of efficiency'

Twisting the gun's handle, Cinder watched as it shifted shape, the connecting mechanism between the two parts seperated, now turning the sniper rifle into two mechanical pieces that would have looked useless to an outsider without knowledge about weaponry . But that all changed when she pulled the lever at their back, causing their main frame to rotate 90 degree to the side

The sniper rifle in her hand now looked like dual cannon pistols, with their sleek frame and light, yet still balanced weight to ensure stability when firing. It has been modified using the same technology as Hellsing - to produce temporary rounds using the user's Aura when they run out of bullet - and enchanted with her magic for increased lethality in combat

In this form, these thing's firepower are seriously reduced, but it's a hell lot safer to fight in close spaces with these guns rather than stuck in a stationary position with your weapon, vulnerable to enemies attacking from all side

Cough* cough* like a certain LMG-wielding, Vodka drinking, Bear-wrestling idiot she knows for example

Downloading....40% completed

Click

She could hear the soldiers outside preparing to breach the room. They pulled out a device- a smoke grenade- it's obvious they want to end this without damaging the doctor and his creation

It's a good thing her Grimm vision allowed the girl to see other's body heat. Such things won't work on her

"[Explosive Round], [Aura shrapnel], [Lesser Recoil]" Cinder read aloud the enchantment embedded on the handgun, before putting her finger on the trigger "These will be enough"

Downloading...45% completed

The metallic clanging of the grenade being thrown into the room triggered Cinder's fighting. With only a second to react, she leaped to the most secured hiding place inside the room, the one where she originally used to enter here - the ceiling

Just as expected, the door to the room were instantly kicked open the moment smoke had filled the room. The three Atlesian operatives carefully made their way in the standard breach formation - clean sweep from right to left, one to either side, with the last one standing just outside for tactical support. They scoured the room, spotting the doctor's corpse but no sign of an intruder, which caused the operatives to exchanged confused glances

Yet the Specialist was nowhere to be seen from her angle, even as Cinder dropped down to engage the first one who's holding the pistol

Her knee crashed into his face, effectively smashing his visor apart. The man screamed as he tried to stab her with the knife in retaliation, but she only twisted his arm and pluck the military knife from his grasp, before plunging it into it's owner's neck instead

Rolling to reduce the impact of the landing, she immediately crouched up and used the fallen operative as human shield against his comrade's firepower. Reacting quick, Cinder pulled out the knife from his neck and launched it toward her attacker. The tactical combat blade dug deep into the shotgun-wielding man's leg, and he was forced to fell on one knee

Downloading...52% completed

Another shot from her gun hit him in the chest, the knockback causing him to crashed into the wall behind him. If the guy doesn't die immediately from that, he'll eventually be with how much shrapnel's stuck in his body

The last one rushed in, his rifle blazed with a hail of furious bullets toward the Grimm girl, forcing her to jumped from wall to wall in a spectacular display of agility, as she twisted sideway and landed just underneath him with her guns drawn

"Parkour, bitch!" Cinder said, and before the soldier could react she placed her cannon just underneath his chin and pulled the trigger, effectively spattering his brains across the ceiling. The body went limb almost immediately and he fell backward to the ground

Now only her and the Specialist was left

Download....60% completed

'Come on, where are you?' Cinder's eyes scanned across the hall, she clicked her guns in preparation 'Something is wrong-'

She whipped around and fired four shots from her handguns, just in time for them to collide with something invisible mid air

The space around them rippled like waves on the surface of a pond, before it reveals four other projectiles being stopped in their trajectory by her shots. The countered rounds clattered to the pristine floor beneath them

'The white floor....' Her eyes widened as she duck back yet again, avoiding another stray bullet that whizzed by her head just a few centimeters to the side

'It's obvious my opponent's Semblance is absolute invisibility' She bit her lips 'They can cloak their presence, their smell, their body heat, and the sound they made when moving is almost unnoticable even by Grimm standard'

She could't sense them by nasal mean either. The smell of gunpowder, of blood, and of dust are too distracting for Cinder to sniff them out. The only thing the Grimm hybrid could do is make blind shots with her wide-ranged cannon and hope for them to hit their target

'Come on. Is the download finished yet?' Cinder impatiently checked the screen. '73%. Almost there' She readied her guns again, before holstering them back to her hips

This decision no doubt have confused her opponent, as they immediately fired another round of clip at her. Cinder easily evaded the projectiles, having sense the air disturbance as they ripped through it to reach her. She then dashed forward at the location where the bullets are fired: Right in front of her

[Explosion]

Right before any melee attack could be made, the unseen assailant was hit with her Wide-area magic spell. The shockwave knocked them back, gravely burning them and no doubt must have fractured their bones

But Cinder wasn't aiming for that, there's another reason where she used such a spell

There exists many types of explosion. The usual reaction when one compressed a large amount of matter into a small space when release all of it's potential energy at once, creating an outburst of matter that decimates everything around it once released

And each of them have their own beauty. Combining different explosions, and you will create a masterpiece. Like a making a painting, the 'palette' you use must also correspond with the 'theme' you have in mind

For this time, she used the perfect type that would counter this invisible foe of hers. Sound explosion.

First, it helped to temporarily immobilize her enemy on their spot, which helped her immensely in concentrating her next spell in their general position. But what truly is frightening lies in it's second purpose

Echolocation

The sound wave created by her explosion hit the Specialist, bounced back into her ears and allowed Cinder to recognize where they are standing. Her eyes flickered upward, where another shot was fired at her. Dodging the lone Dust bullet, the Grimm girl pounced forward with a mad expression on her face, releasing shots after shots at where the assailant stood

A small rustling. Of course they will attempt to change position. No matter if they're spotted, the Specialist still held the upper hand against this small girl since she is still unable to pinpoint his location

Or at least that's what he thought

He made a counter shot, only for Cinder to take it in full force instead of evading it. But that has been a calculated action, as Cinder - with a grin on her face - proceed to spray the man with the blood from her wound

'Shit'

"You can't hide now" She leaped at him, tackling the Specialist to the ground. with one hand she pinned him down, with the other she began raining blows down on his face

With the first blow, she cracked his mask

With the second, she shattered it

And the third, when she punched him so hard on the side that he could feel his jaw being dislocated from it

"Enough!" Headbutting the girl, Reaper used the slight interval between her blows to flip Cinder over his shoulder. With one foot placed on her chest, he clicked his gun- which has just ran out of bullet- and load another Dust round into it

He then leveled the gun at her, and placed the muzzle between Cinder's forehead

"I shouldn't have gone soft on you" He said coldly "No matter if you're a child, you still work for the Grim and willingly commit despicable deeds for him. Death is the most suitable retribution to you"

"Ha...." Cinder stared at him "It seems you've got me Mr. Specialist"

Despite this, Cinder's amber-colored eyes does not betray fury, scorn, nor was there any emotional outburst lurking behind them. She is completely calm

It has been agreed upon all of the children that there should be safety measures taken to ensure information leakage, to prevent situation where the enemy is forcing you down for intel regarding their operations. And so doctor Watts have taken their request and perform a minor surgery on each one of them, in which he added a single device in their body

The moment their enemy pulled the trigger, firing the loaded shot into her brain and killing her, the bomb planted inside Cinder's body will be activated, taking whoever unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity together with this girl into the afterlife.

Cinder Fall does not regret her way. She does not regret her decision to follow the one who freed her

In this world, there exists an undeniable system that keeps everything in check. The elitists- those who stands at the top of their hierarchy- hogs all the power to themselves, growing stronger and stronger - believing that power will last forever- while those who stands below them were forced to feed on the remains, fighting among themselves to sate their hunger like wild beasts

She herself is one of those. To survive, she must fight, she refuse to starve

'My name is (Y/n)'

But then the scorned and desperate child that is Cinder met with him. (Y/n) (L/n). The person that changed her world. His mere presence alone seems to erase all of her impurities from her body

'This is an emergency'

So...blinding, it is as though he's a testament of their faith, the proof that the existence of God is not just a work of fiction nor a non-belief of a gospel, but he is standing there, right in front of the desolate children with the light of the halo cast behind him

'Bring me all those weapons. I'm gonna teach you kids how to use a gun'

So...kind. Is this how a powerful person was supposed to act like? To extend their hands to the weak? She had wondered, but then Cinder realized. He wasn't helping them, he was giving them a chance, a chance to face their fears and free themselves

'Why choose to survive by power, when one can live by freedom?'

The Specialist's finger tightened around the trigger

BANG

"......."

There was no pain

"Cinder friend, are you alright?"

Penny's smiling face looked down upon her with wide curious eyes, the blade in her hand dripped with blood

<><><><><><><><><><><><>

Author's Note:

GOD FUCKING DAMN IT, THIS CHAPTER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE RELEASED ON VALENTINE'S DAY!

*kick bucket of shit*

*shit spilled on the floor*

*scream in rage*

And then some dumbass author just have to add another 3k words to his story because he feels like it's not enough, and ended up having to edit all that mess because his editor got a cold...I'm sorry

*perform dozega*

If it's any consolation, please just enjoy the image posted below of Lust giving you some love chocolate